Although the crowd in AfterHours was small as Mark Gilday Jr. took the stage, his energy was more than enough to fill the room. Gilday, a 2015 Northeastern graduate who studied marketing and music industry, returned to campus Sept. 10 to play alongside several other artists.

Although Gilday now lives in Melrose, Massachusetts, his connection to Boston is clear. From the Northeastern sticker on the back of his car to the water bottle printed with a map of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority that he brings with him onstage, Gilday said his time at Northeastern has shaped his life and his music since.

“What comes most natural is writing about experiences with what’s going on in my own head,” he said. “Just the buzz in my head and relationships with people.”

Gilday’s performance at AfterHours was full of emotion as he utilized unique methods of creating the sound he wanted. He opened one song by stomping on the stage to get a bass like beat. Gilday traveled the stage, sometimes moving further from the microphone, playing with the volume of his lyrics. He also used some discordant shouts to emphasis the emotion in songs.

Jade Beener, a third-year computer science major, said that although it was her first time seeing Gilday, she really liked the performance.

“I always enjoy music, [and] it’s fun to hang out,” Beener said. “I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

In between songs, Gilday was sure to compliment the artists that performed before him and hype up the ones who were to perform after him. The night featured performances by Robert Steiner, Anjimile, Ozlo and Lilith.

“How about Robert Steiner?” Gilday asked, two songs into his set. “Opening the show like a boss.”

For now, Gilday works doing freelance video correction work and said he would like to integrate music into his video work in the future.

“I would love to tie those worlds together,” Gilday said.

Gilday said he hasn’t been performing as heavily lately, and has been struggling with writing. As a result, he has turned his focus to other work.

“I don’t really see being a performing musician as a realistic career,” he said.

Rowan Dickens, a third-year math major in the audience, knew Gilday previously because they had both performed at a house show in New Hampshire three years ago.

“He [Gilday] was the first Northeastern student that I met who wasn’t a tour guide,” Dickens said. “It was interesting hearing him three years apart. Still a great experience.”